Centrifugal driving mechanism



June 9, 1936.

l 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. l0, 1954 fel m55-fz @Uf l C v S O Enf f /6/ June' 9, 1936. A. F. .Hows 2,043,662

CENTRI FUGAL DRIVING MECHANI SM Filed Aug. lo, 1954 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented June 9, 1936 UNITED STATES GFFICE 5 Claims.

This invention relates to centrifugal driving mechanism, and has special reference to mechanism for driving a centrifugal drier.

Objects of the invention are to provide an improved driving mechanism for rotating the distributing cone and the conical screen that surrounds the centrifugal cone at uniform or varying speeds as desired; to provide means for closing the outlet from the space between the cone and the screen automatically and as an incident to the rotation of the cone and the screen at uniform speed, and for opening said outlet automatically and as an incident to the rotation of the screen at a speed slower than the speed of rotation of the cone; and to provide means for indicating the relative speed of rotation of the screen and the cone.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved centrifugal drier equipped with driving mechanism comprising a drive shaft rotated by a motor at any desired speed, and means for rotating the `centrifugal cone of the drier by said shaft, in combination with a shaft for rotating the screen of the centrifugal drier, and mechanism for rotating said second shaft by said first shaft at variable speeds whereby the screen may be rotated at uniform speed with the cone or at slower speed than the cone as desired.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the annexed drawings, in which- Figl is a vertical sectional View of a centrifugal drier equipped with the present invention.

'Fig 2 is a view showing the manually operative connections for controlling the speed of rotation of the screen whereby said screen may be caused to rotate at uniform speed with the distributing cone of the drier, or to rotate slower than the cone as desired.

Fig. 3 is an outer end elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. l.

The vertical drive shaft I is rotated by a motor 2 mounted within a housing 3 attached to a removable and replaceable support 4. The support 4 is ,attached to a housing 5 by removable and replaceable screws 6. A coupling sleeve 'I is attached to the upper end of the shaft I and is slidable on and withdrawable from the lower end of a vertical shaft 8 which is in axial alinement with the shaft I and supports and rotates the distributing cone 3 of a centrifugal drier.

A tubular shaft comprising two attached members I and I I is rotatively supported in bearings I2 mounted in an upwardly extended portion of the housing 5. The shaft 8 extends into and is coaxial with the tubular shaft. The coupling 'I has tongue-and-groove connection I3 with the shaft 8, so that the shaft I will rotate said shaft 8.

A conical screen I4 surrounds and is separated from the cone 9 by an intervening space I5 provided with an inlet passage l5 at its upper end and with an outlet passage il at its lower end. The screen i4 is supported by webs I8 rigid with an annular member i9 attached to the upper end of the tubular shaft member IG.

An annular closure member is supported by sleeves ZI mounted for sliding movements along vertical rods 22 attached to and projecting downwardly from the lower marginal portion of the cone 9. Springs 23 act against the lower portion of the cone 9 and against the upper ends of the sleeves 2| and cooperate with gravity and with the material supported in the space I5 to move the member 26 from closed position to open position.

A roller 24 supported by the armature 25 of a solenoid magnet 23 operates against an annular rib 2l on the underside of the closure member 23, and is effective to raise the closure member 23 to position to close the outlet opening il when the magnet is energized by electrical energy supplied through wires 2B.

A disc 23 is attached to the lower end of the tubular shaft member l l and is integral with an annular rack 3U concentric with the axis of the shaft I. A supporting disc 3l is rigidly attached to the shaft I and has two pairs of downwardly extended spaced flanges 32 in rigid connection therewith. An arm 33 is mounted on a pivot 34 between each pair of anges 32, and the outer ends of said arms are actuated in a direction to engage the teeth 33 by springs 35. The arrangement of the rack teeth 33 is such that, when one of the arms 33 is engaged between any of said teeth, the other arm 33 is engaged with the lower end of one of said teeth. Thus, it is impossible for both arms 33 to be engaged between teeth 30 at the same time.

A roller 36 is mounted on an axle member 31 journalled in a vertically movable bracket 38. The bracket 38 is mounted for vertical sliding movements along a supporting bracket 3S. By moving the bracket 38 upwardly, the roller 33 may be located in the path of the inner ends of the arms 33, so that said arms 33 will be alternately engaged between and disengaged from between teeth 3@ when the machine is in operation. rIhis mechanism constitutes a species of escapement whereby a lost motion on the part of the screen I4 may be brought about to permit said screen to be rotated slower than the cone 9. By moving the bracket 38 downwardly to position in which the roller 36 will not be engaged by the arms 33, the screen I4 and cone 9 will continue to be rotated at the same speed because there will be no disengagement of the arms 33 from the teeth 33.

A rod 43 is screwed through a threaded support 4I which includes the wall of the housing 5. The threaded engagement of the rod D with the support 4I constitutes means for moving said rod 4i) longitudinally inwardly and outwardly when said rod is rotated. The inner end of the rod 43 is pivotally connected with one end of a link 42, the opposite end of which link is pivotally connected with the bracket 38. Consequently, when the rod ,46 is moved inwardly, the bracket 38 will be moved upwardly and will carry with it the roller 36, thereby locating said roller in position to be engaged by the inner ends of the arms 33 to eifect diiferential rotation of the screen I4 with respect to the cone S. And, when the rod 4I! is moved outwardly, the bracket 38 will be moved'downwardly and will carry with it the roller 35, thus locating theY parts so that said roller will not operate the arms 33. This mechanism constitutes means for optionally rotating the screen I4 at the same speed as the cone 9 rotates or at slower speed as desired. The outer end of the rod l@ is equipped with a crank device 43 whereby said rod may be manually rotated.

A tachometer instrument 44 has a connection 45 operatively engaging a gear member 46 on the tubular shaft element II in a known manner to indicate the speed of rotation of said shaft member II, which is the speed of rotation of the screen I4; A similar tachometer instrument 41 has an operating connection 43 with a gear member 159 attached to the shaft I for indicating the speed of rotation of said shaft I. Thus, the operator may easily observe the relative speeds of rotation of the ccne'9 and the screen I4.

One of the electric circuit wires 28 leads to a contact member 53 on the bracket 38, and the other wire 28 leads to a contact member 5I on the supporting bracket 39. When the bracket 38-ismoved downwardly to place the roller 36 in ineffective position, the contact member 50 is automatically engaged With the contact member 5I, thereby closing the circuit to the magnet 26 and energizing said magnet. When the magnet is energized, the armature 25 is moved upwardly and the closure member 2U is thereby supported in position across the outlet openingA I'I and supports-thematerial in the space I5. In this way, the drier is transformed into a batch drier automatically and as an incident to an' operation Vand adjustment of parts effecting uniform rotation of the cone .9 and screen I4. Whenthe parts areoperatedand adjustedvto effect-slower rotation .of the screen I 4 in comparison with the speed of rotation .of the. cone 9, the contact members 5I) and 5I are out o-f engagement with each other, the magnet 26 is de.- energized, and the weight of the closure member 2l!V assisted by the springs 23 and the material passing through the space I5 moves said member 20., downwardly to open the outlet opening I'I so that there may be a continuous flow of material through the drier.

The foregoing description Yof the construction, arrangement and operation of the various parts should be sufficient to enable any one skilled in the art to understand the operation of the complete machine without repetition. The mechanisms may be varied as widely as the scope of equivalent limits will permit without departure from the nature and principle of the invention.

I..claim:-

1. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a distributing cone, a rotary shaft supporting said cone, a screen surrounding and separated from said cone by an intervening space which is adapted to receive material, a rotary tubular shaft supporting said screen and enclosing said first shaft, a support attached to said first shaft, an annular rack attached to said tubular shaft, arms pivoted to said support and movable into and out of engagement with said rack, means for holding said arms in engagement with said rack, and means for disengaging said arms from said rack intermittently during rotation of said nrst shaft.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a distributing cone, a rotary shaft supporting said cone, a screen surrounding and separated from said cone by an intervening spacev which is adapted to receive material, a rotary tubular shaft supporting said screen and enclosing said rst shaft, an annular rack attached toone of said shafts, a support attached to the other shaft, arms pivoted on said support for engagement with said rack to rotate said tubular shaft by said first shaft, means for engaging said arms with said rack, and means for alternately and intermittently disengaging said arms from said rack during rotation of said first shaft.

3. In a' machine of the character described, the q combination of a distributing cone, a rotary shaft supporting said cone, a screen surrounding and separated from said cone by an intervening space which is adapted to receive material, a rotary tubular shaft supporting said screen and enclosing said rst shaft, an annular rack attached to one of said shafts, arms pivotally supported by the other shaft for engaging said rack to rotate said tubular shaft by said first shaft, and means for alternately and intermittently engaging.. said arms with said rack during rotation of said first shaft.

4. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a-distributing cone, a rotary shaft supporting said cone, a screen-surrounding and separated from said coneA by an intervening space which is adapted to receive material, a rotary tubular shaft'supporting said screen and enclosingA saidr first shaft, an annular rackattached to one of said shafts, arms'supported by the other shaft and movable into and out of engagement with said rack to. rotate said tubular shaft by said first shaft, and mechanism for alternately and intermittently engaging said arms with and disengaging said arms from said rack during rotation of said rst shaft.

5.- In a machine of the character described, the combination of a distributing cone, a rotary shaft supporting said cone, a screen surrounding and separated from said cone by an intervening space which is adapted to receive material, a rotary tubularshaft supporting said screen and enclosing said first shaft, an annular rack attached to one of said shafts, arms supported by the other shaft for alternate engagement with and disengagement from said rack to rotate said tubular shaft by said rst shaft, and means for effecting alternate and intermittent enga-gement and disengagement of said arms with said rack or leaving one of said arms in permanent engagement With said rack as desired.

ANDREW F. HIOWE 

